Lamb and Cauliflower Curry with Creamy Mashed Potatoes

My husband, Desi, was the first man I fell deeply in love with. To date, and many, many years later, he still is, to me, the most perfect man.

Sure, we have our shares of ups and downs. But if I was to do it all over again, I don’t think I’d change a thing.

I think part of the magic is not just that we are so different that we complement each other, but that we are so similar, we have this wonderful, maybe even boring, harmony that keeps us in sync.

We literally complete each other’s thoughts and sentences. We love mostly the same movies (except he’s unnaturally obsessed with documentaries. I like them, but in moderation). We like to travel, together. We like animals: in fact, and this could be hard to believe, but he loves them more than I do.

Over the years, our home has played host to every kind of creature, including a chick that he once brought into our one-bedroom apartment in Bombay. She would run all around the house dispensing chalky-white poop everywhere. He named her Chikni, which, translated from Hindi slang, means a good-looking girl.

There was an injured pigeon, who died despite days of fussing by Desi. A large number of stray cats and dogs rescued from the streets. He has even rescued a mouse or two caught by our hyperactive cat Pubm, before she could kill it.

Of course, we are not alike in every way. He is (and I hate to admit this, but it’s true) wittier, smarter, and more tolerant than I am. He is also not a vegan, and you can rest assured it’s not because of lack of trying on my part.

When I went vegan, I stopped cooking some of the dishes I made that Desi loved. But he was really supportive because he knew it meant a lot to me to be able to do what I believed was ethically right.

So sometimes, I work a little harder to try and recreate, with vegan ingredients, those dishes that he once enjoyed so much. This “lamb” curry, made with soy nuggets or textured vegetable protein, is such a dish. The textured nuggets contrast beautifully with the cauliflower florets cooked to melt-in-the-mouth tenderness.

I serve this spicy curry, which is much healthier than its meaty counterpart could ever hope to be, with creamy mashed potatoes. I can’t think of two flavors that go together better.

Saute the onions until they start to brown. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for a minute.

Add the tomatoes, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander seed powder, cumin powder and turmeric. Stir together to mix, and allow the tomatoes to cook on medium heat until they start expressing the oil, about five minutes.

Add the cauliflower and the TVP nuggets. Mix together.

Add 1½ cups of water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and let the curry simmer about 20-30 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, sprinkle with coriander leaves, and serve hot with some crusty bread or rice.

5 nedium Yukon Gold potatoes (I cook these in the microwave by stabbing the potatoes a few times with a knife, then putting them in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the potatoes with just enough water and nuke about 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are perfectly tender.)

½ cup soy milk

1 tsp fresh-ground black pepper

2 tbsp soy "butter" like Earth Balance

Salt to taste

Instructions

Mash the boiled potatoes with a potato masher. I don't peel the potatoes because the skins are good for you, and I love them in this rustic dish.

Add the soy milk, "butter", pepper and salt. Mix together until everything's just combined.

You can add some roasted garlic to this, or replace the soy butter with olive oil for other, interesting flavors.

About Vaishali Honawar

Comments

Lovely! Yeah, my husband went almost vegan for me- with the exception of fish (wouldn’t give up sushi). He also is a HUGE sport fisherman, mostly bass- catch & release, but I cannot bring myself to fish with him. Our relationship is similar to what you guys have- very similar and very different, but in good ways! I am hungry looking at your dish- thanks for the recipe!

Love is about so much more than just romance; it’s the mutual respect, accommodation and care. When all those elements work w/ a couple, it’s always worth the work and commitment. You and Desi clearly have it.

What an absolutely affectionate post filled with love Here’s to the both of you!Your thoughts mirrored mine about my own relationship with S – the fact that we are different in some ways, but right at the core of our relationship are these few values and sentiments which are SO identical that it binds us together like nothing else!

Nice to know that you and your hubby have the same interests and get along well. Even if we have differences, someone has to change/compromise for good. Only if we have similar interests, we can do those activities together and spend some time together right? Me and my hubby have different likes and dislikes.. eventually I realized that if I don’t participate in his interests, I will be the loser and end up not spending time together.It is really good that both you and your hubby enjoy doing things together.

I loved reading this post, i don’t know if my hubby is perfect, but will have to do hi hi But have to admit i am still madly in love with him.We too dated for 3 years and got married as my hubby thought it was much easier otherwise he had to come and see me always during his holidays. And he was afraid my family would force me to a arranged marriage :-))))I do cook things which i don’t eat for him.Like yesterday daughter and hubby loves steak and i make it for them.Love the curry it look yummy delicious.

This is quite possibly the best tasting vegan recipe I’ve ever eaten… and I’ve been cooking vegan (and eating mostly vegan) for 30 years! My teen son loved it as well and he’s extremely picky. The combination of flavors was absolute perfection. Only change I may do next time is add peas or spinach for a little more health factor. Serving with mashed potatoes was brilliant…a welcome change from the typical pupuds, rice, chapati with curries. Yum & thanks!!